Waco’s McLane Stadium was filled as fans were treated to an action-packed, relatively high-scoring game. Baylor’s high offensive was on full display, ending with a 38-24 victory over Big 12 Conference rival Brigham Young University.
Reported last week by Dallas Express, AP votes had begun to accumulate in Baylor’s direction. Sure enough, the 6-1 Bears, 3-1 in The Big 12 Conference, now occupy the 20th spot in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll. Conversely, the loss dropped 5-2 BYU from the poll.
It was a high-intensity game with a combined 940 total yards from scrimmage for both teams. Baylor was successful in their passing and rushing game with 231 yards through the air and 303 yards over the land. In contrast, the Cougars relied almost exclusively on their passing offensive, netting 342 yards, but that same offense could muster only 67 rushing yards. BYU’s 24 rushing attempts yielded fewer than 3 yards per carry.
Baylor was again well served by the skillful play and leadership from Junior QB Gerry Bohanon, whose 18 completions on 28 attempts went for two touchdowns and only one interception. A noteworthy feature is his ability to utilize his entire offensive team, six different Baylor receivers were reached; Senior wideout R J Sneed from Cypress, TX received half a dozen for a total of 72 yards.
Ball carrying honors were divided between Abram Smith and Tresten Ebner, teaming for 283 yards on 38 touches. Ebner logged three touchdowns. Baylor did not fumble the ball.
The Bears’ defense remained strong throughout the game. The defensive team was credited with seven tackles-for-loss, four QB sacks, nine “hurries”, and a fumble recovery.
They were not summoned often, but when they were, they knew what to do. Placekicker Isaiah Hankins connected on a 31-yard field goal to go with five 2-point conversions, and Punter Isaac Power averaged 51.5 yards on his two downfield kicks. Lastly, Baylor defeated BYU with a longer time of possession, 35:24 to 24:36.
The Bears look forward to continuing a strong season with an October 30 afternoon home welcome to the unranked Longhorns. Following this game, they will host the unbeaten and number 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners on November 13.
